Improvement in milk-wagons



A. L. FISH.

MILK WAGON.

Patented July 18, 1876.

Witfiwsw I ER TO- 06 ERIW To in longitudinal vertical section.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALONZO L. FISH, OF GEDARVILLE, NEW YORK.

IMPROVEMENT IN MlLK-WAGONS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 179,904, dated July 18,1876 application filed June 7, 1876.

To all whom it may concern:

Be -it known that I, ALONZO L. FISH, of Cedarville, in the county ofHerkimer and State of New York, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Milk-W'agons and that the following is a full, clear,and exact description of the same, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings, making a part of this specification, in which-Figure 1 represents a perspective view of my milk-wagon. Fig. 2represents the same Fig. 3 represents in top view a modification of thesprings attached to the axle. Fig. 4 represents in elevation amodification of the spring. located upon the axle.

My invention relates to wagons designed, mainly, to carry milk in cansfrom the farmers house to butter or cheese factories, torailroad-depots, or to customers and is intended to keep the milk in thebest possible condi' tion. For this purpose the body of the wagon issuspended under the axles from springs restin g upon said axles, so thatany-shock received by the wheels meeting obstructions upon the road isreceived by the springs, and is nearly imperceptible upon the body ofthe wagon. As the wheels can be made larger than usual, withoutmaterially raising the said body, they will pass over obstructions withless difficulty than others of smaller size. The body being suspended,near each extremity, from bolts over its center, can oscillatependulum-like without any side jerks, and, having its center of gravitybelow the axles, will have a nearly perfect degree of stability. It willadd, also, to the convenience over others inloading and unloading, andwill save much in the wear of the milk-cans. My invention relates, also,to the manner in which the fore part of the body of the wagon issuspended under the axle from a king-bolt sustained by a spring orsprings resting upon the axle, said king-bolt being retained inconnection with the axle by a guideplate, and by the tractile powerapplied'directly to it. It also relates to the inannerin which the rearpart of the body of the wagon is suspended under the axle fromconverging rods passing on each side of the rear axle, attached at oneend to the body of the wagon, and at the other end to a bolt sustainedby a spring or springs located upon the axle.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I willproceed to describe the same with reference to the drawings.

A represents the body ofthe wagon or swinging rack suspended under theaxles B and B, that are supported by the wheels 0, made preferably ofthe same size for the front and rear axles. In the front part of thebody A, and attached to it, there is a cross-piece, a, through which theking-bolt D passes, its head d forming a rest for the cross-piece a,while its upper part passes between the front axle B and a guide-plate,I), attached to the said front axle, and rests, by means of its nut (1alone, or jam-nuts, upon a plate, 6, attached to the upper leaves of thespring E, while its lower leaves are bolted to the axle B. The king-boltD serves, also, as a pivot, around which the front axle and shafts canturn freely without any fifth-wheel, to change the direction in whichthe front wheels are advancing. The king-bolt passes through a ring,f,to which the draft is applied, and, consequently, directly to the bodyof the wagon, by means of the rod 9 and the single-tree 9, thusobviating any shock received by the wheels being transmitted to thewagon, the rod 9 being supported, in relation to the shafts H, by aloop, h, attached to their connecting-bar H. The shafts H are connectedto the front of the axle B. so as to readily skew it around, when it isdesired, using the king-bolt as a pivot, and dispensing with the use ofa fifth-wheel or bolster. The rear part of the body A of the wagon isalso suspended from the top of a spring, E, by diagonal rods '6 uponeach side of the rear axle, to keep the spring in an upright position,the rods 45 having one of their extremities fastened to the body of thewagon at '5, while the other is connected to a central bolt, 70, restingupon, and fastened to, the upper leaves of the spring E. Thus both endsof the wagon or swinging'rack are suspended from a central point on topof the springs, allowing it to oscillate laterally without any joltingmotion. The rear axle is securely connected to the Wagon by means ofothers with which I am acquainted.

rods m, having eyes at each end to engage with eyebolts m, attached tothe axle and to the sides of the body of the wagon, so as not tointerfere with its swinging motion. It the axles are made of wood theyare provided with light iron plates on the sides, to prevent anyabrasion by the king-bolt, or the diagonal rods 71.

In practice I have found my suspended milk-wagon preferable for thatpurpose to all It is cheaper and more simple in construction bydispensingwith fifth-wheel and bolsters. The center of gravity beingsuspended below the the axles, there is scarcely any jolting motionperceptible, so that the milk-cans do not need to be strapped in thewagon, and larger wheels than usual can be used, thus making the drafteasier on rough roads.

It is evident that two springs may be used in place of one upon thefront axle, as shown in Fig. 3, and connecting them by a bar, F, forthereeeption of the king-bolt, and a nearly similar arrangement could beused over the rear axle, or a half-elliptic spring, as shown in Fig. 4.

The king-bolt may be made to pass through' a slit in the middle of thefront axle, with a spring in front and rear of it, united above by aplate for the support of the nut of the kingbolt; but I prefer thearrangement shown in Figs. 1 and 2, as it is cheaper, and answers allpurposes for light loads, and I have found rubber springs rather toorigid to accomplish the desired object.

Having now fully described my invention, what I claim is l. The body ofa wagon for carrying milk and for other purposes, suspended under boththe front and rear axles from springs located upon said axles by boltsor rods pivoted over the longitudinal central line of the wagon, toallow it to swing sidewise, substantially in the manner shown anddescribed.

2. In a milk-wagon having its body suspended under both the front andrear axles from springs and bolts located overits central line, theguide-plate I), attached to the front axle to retain the king-bolt D,and allow it to oscillate transversely with the wagon, as and for thepurpose described.

3. In a milk-wagon having its body suspended under both the front andrear axles, the transverse diagonal rods i, suspended centrally from thetop of the spring E, and the longi tudinal rods'm, to connect the rearaxle with the said body, and allow it to oscillate substantially as andfor the purpose specified.

ALONZO L. FISH. Witnesses:

WM. HosroRD, BERNARD GRIM.

